“I wanted it to be a documentation of Jamaica for everyone to enjoy,” said Muir. “People walking down the street. People in the marketplace. Every picture is candid. I did that by integrating myself into the community and waiting for the moment to happen. I would spend three or four hours in one place.”

Even the subtitle is one of the “…subplots of the book, one of the treasures in the book of real Jamaica” added Muir, 43. “Real Rock is a rhythm. Every beat has a name. You will have a lot of songs that have different singers, different words…but they have the same track underneath. That track has a name. Real Rock is a rhythm, but it’s also what we call Jamaica. Like, we might call it [Jamaica] ‘Yard’ or ‘Jamrock.’ It’s all about authenticity. Those who are initiated will know immediately.”

Local photographer David Muir of DAVIDiPhoto, Inc in Fort Lauderdale.

Born and raised in Kingston, Muir moved to New York when he was 27 to marry his wife Ghenete, who was about to start law school at the time. The two soon moved to South Florida because, “…it’s the closest place in America to Jamaica,” explained Muir. “And the cold in New York is not natural to my way of being. I left Jamaica kicking and screaming believe me.”

After stints as a disc jockey and in social work, Muir opened up his own photography studio two years ago, turning a lifetime hobby into a vocation. He quickly lined up clientele for portraits and events “primarily in the African-American and Caribbean community,” said Muir. “I also did a lot of pictures for law firms for their websites.”

He began working on the book in earnest four years ago. “It’s a testament to how I feel about Jamaica. I loved living there and I love Jamaica more being away from it. I didn’t want to do the usual pictures: tourist beaches; hotels and resorts; plants with all the fauna and flora or just cute children. I wanted it to be real life. I wanted Jamaicans and people who love Jamaica who look at the book it would mean something.”